1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an operating device and an operating system, and more particularly to an operating device and an operating system for operating an in-vehicle device installed in a moving body such as an automobile.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various operating devices have been proposed with the aim of providing an in-vehicle device installed in a moving body such as an automobile with an improved operating environment. A vehicle lever switch structure described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-162943 (JP-A-2003-162943) may be cited as an example of this type of operating device. This vehicle lever switch is a lever switch for operating an in-vehicle device such as a turn signal, lights, and wipers, and functions as a turn signal switch, a passing switch, a main dimmer switch, a wiper/washer switch, and so on. When a button provided on an end portion of the lever switch is pushed, a lamp provided inside the lever switch emits light, thereby illuminating a turn signal switch display unit, a lighting switch display unit, and a wiper switch display unit respectively provided on the front surface of the lever switch. Thus, a driver who is not accustomed to operating the lever switch can clearly see the respective display units illuminated by the lamp on the lever front surface even when operating the lever switch at night.
Further, a technique described in Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-298241 (JP-A-2006-298241) may be cited as another type of operating device for providing an in-vehicle device with an improved operating environment. In JP-A-2006-298241, in-vehicle device switches are provided on spoke parts of a steering wheel, and a driver gripping the steering wheel operates various in-vehicle devices by operating the switches while viewing a display screen. Thus, the driver can operate the in-vehicle devices using his/her thumbs, without taking his/her hands off the steering wheel during travel. In this technique, when the driver touches a steering switch provided on the steering wheel while gripping the steering wheel with a preferred grip, a display image representing a steering switch operation guide is displayed on a Head Up Display (HUD) provided on a windshield of the vehicle. In the operation guide displayed on the HUD in this technique, a diagrammed pattern of buttons and the arrangement thereof within a frame emulate the actual pattern and arrangement of the actual steering switches. A button on the display image corresponding to the steering switch touched by the driver is displayed in an inverted state. Hence, with the technique described in JP-A-2006-298241, when the driver operates a steering switch s/he can comprehend the type and position of the switch touched by him/her intuitively and visually, without directly checking his/her hands.
However, a lever switch such as that described in JP-A-2003-162943 is typically disposed on a steering column located to the rear of the steering wheel relative to the driver. Therefore, even when the front surface of the lever switch is illuminated by the lamp, visual confirmation of the lever switch is obstructed by the steering wheel. In other words, with the technique described in JP-A-2003-162943, it is difficult to distinguish clearly between functions such as the turn signal switch, the passing switch, the main dimmer switch, and the wiper/washer switch, and therefore to operate these switches correctly, even when the display units on the front surface of the lever switch are illuminated by the lamp provided in the interior of the lever switch.
Furthermore, recent years have witnessed increases in the number of functions provided in in-vehicle devices. With the technique described in JP-A-2006-298241, steering switches must be provided for each of the many functions of the in-vehicle devices so that the driver can operate the many functions of the in-vehicle devices that need to be performed during vehicle travel. However, there is not enough space on the spoke parts of the steering wheel to provide all of the steering switches. In other words, the technique described in JP-A-2006-298241 is not sufficient to operate the respective multi-function in-vehicle devices.